There are 61 laughter lines in the official transcript of Barack Obama's speech to the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday, which is a good deal more than the evening's professional comedian, Conan O'Brien, managed.

But the ritual self-deprecation of this annual Washington schmooze quickly made way for more partisan swipes than has been usual of late. With protesters outside dressed as devils and Obama's second term already mired in congressional trench warfare, the evening proved less a pause of hostilities in America's culture war; more a pep rally for the next battle.

Baiting the right began the minute the president jived his way to the lecturn to the beat of DJ Khaled's All I Do is Win. "Rush Limbaugh warned you about this – second term, baby," he explained, before admitting he was not "the strapping young Muslim socialist" he used to be.

The evening proved less a pause of hostilities in America's culture war and more a pep rally for the next battle. Photograph: Rex Features Pool/Getty Images

Fox host Bill O'Reilly was the next talk-show foe to have a rap reference rubbed in his face as Obama brushed aside recent criticism of his administration for granting Jay-Z and Beyoncé permission to travel to Cuba. "I've got 99 problems and now Jay-Z is one," quipped a bemused president.

One thing Republicans do agree on after the last election is their need to reach out to Hispanic voters and other minority groups, so Obama suggested this could be a way to bridge the partisan divide that has paralysed Washington. "I can think of one minority they could start with," he said. "Um. Hello? Think of me as a trial run, you know."

But even right-wing backing for Obama's immigration reform is suffering from a post-Boston backlash and, after a fortnight of setbacks on gun control and the federal budget, his failure to enlist moderate Republicans to his cause may be beyond humour.

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When pushed on this in January, the president previously joked that he has plenty of time to meet up with congressmen now that his daughters are growing up. On Saturday night, he made clear the relationship was past hope. "Some folks still don't think I spend enough time with Congress. 'Why don't you go for a drink with [Senate minority leader] Mitch McConnell?,' they ask. Really? Why don't you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?"

Obama also clearly bristles at liberal criticism that he should call their bluff more often. Responding to recent suggestions that he should ape Hollywood's fictitious portrayal of embattled Democrats, he turned to Michael Douglas, one of many A-listers in the audience. "What's your secret?" he asked the star of The American President rhetorically. Could it be that you were a character in an Aaron Sorkin liberal fantasy?"

It might not bother Obama much, but the hatred may be getting to his wife. Telling the story of Sheldon Adelson, the Mitt Romney donor who spent $100m on attack ads last year, Obama said: "You've got to really dislike me to spend that kind of money. You could buy an island and call it 'Nobama' for that kind of money. Sheldon would have been better off offering me $100m to drop out of the race. Michelle would have taken it."

Obama as Day-Lewis tries to get the ears right. Photograph: YouTube

The best gag of the night was reserved for Democratic donor Steven Spielberg, who hosted a pre-filmed skit outlining his plans for a follow-up to Lincoln – again starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role. With the president himself playing the famous method actor and pretending to fiddle with his 'prosthetic' ears in makeup, Spielberg explained that since Obama was already a lame duck they might as well get on with making the film. Like all the best jokes, it felt painfully close to the mark.